Self-configuring networks to which peripherals devices such as printers can be freely connected include, for example, the Apple Talk™ Network by manufactured by Apple Computers Inc. of USA. Such a network allows, for example, laser printers to be connected at will to the network.
The Internet Engineering Task Force has also made a number of developments aimed at making similar capabilities available in the TCP/IP environment. Such arrangements tend, however, to be relatively inflexible. Thus, for example, although new devices may be connected to a network and may be self-configuring to some degree, there are significant limitations in the variety of devices which can be so connected and which can interact to perform desired functions. Further, known arrangements generally support only point-to-point interoperability. In such a configuration, a new printer can be connected to a local area network (LAN), where personal computers (PC's) previously connected to the network will become aware of that printer. The PC's can thereafter use the printer in a straightforward manner. If, however, a particular PC however does not have an appropriate driver matching the printer, that PC will be unable to use the printer to reproduce print jobs in spite of the PC user possibly being aware that a suitable driver was presently available on the network in a different locations, possibly store at different locations.